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Sweet foods comprise the largest group of foods and many foods are combinations of sweet and sour, or
sweet and bitter (coffee) and so on. There are two different groups of sweet foods. There are sweet foods that
are warming such as legumes and nuts and sweet foods that are cooling such as fruits, sugar and honey. Some
other sweet foods are potatoes, rice, tomato, carrot, coffee, honey, beet roots, licorice, longan, barley, and cheese.
Sweet foods can have the effect of being calming, moisturizing the body and strengthening the muscles.
Salty foods have the ability to hold fluids in the body. They are more cooling in nature and their energy goes
inward and downward. They can soften hardness and help to retain heat in the core of the body. Some common
salty foods are seafoods, barley, duck, celery, seaweed, and salt.
There is also another flavor that is not tied to any particular Season or System and that is the Neutral/Bland
flavor. Usually this flavor is in combination with another taste such as a cucumber which is sweet and neutral.
The above information is just a beginning for understanding how important a role flavor has in our diet. It’s
not just there to taste good, but also to help us bring greater harmony and balance to our internal systems. Flavors
do this through their affects upon the functions of each system. While your TCM practitioner can assist you in
finding specific diet recommendations, generally speaking, adding all the flavors into your diet is part of the basis
for healthful eating. In addition, you can apply some of the ideas found here to your daily routine. For example, pay
attention to the flavors you gravitate to and see if you can identify what message that holds for you. Or, after
discerning what flavors are dominate on your plate, try adding in other flavors and discover how that feels.
Remember that moderation is best and a bright, beautiful plate carefully prepared with a variety of color and flavor
will aid you in your pursuit of optimum health.
January, 2012 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 43